Machine for cutting and placing sheet material



oct. 19,l 1943. F. 116mm y 2,332,445

MACHINE Non CUTTING AND PLACING lSHEET MATERIAL Filed Feb; 19, 1942 2snets-sheet 1 F. D. GRIM- Oct. 19, 1943.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND ILCING SHEET MATERIAL Filed Feb. 19, 1942 2Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. 017251Z 12 (zum BY Patented Oct. 19, 1943momma 2.332.445 Foa CUTTING AND PLAING SHEET MATERIAL` n Y Forrest D.`Grim;y llentownQmPas assigner tort' l TroJan Powder Company,acorporationof New c claims. clim- 39), j@

' This invention relates to -a machine for cutting and placing sheetAmaterialy vand Ypartit'sul'arlyY 'to amachine for cutting thin paperandplacig the cutout pieces over a holerin a receiving'member.`

The machine is particularlyusefulfin-forming and *placing*v discs ofthin paperoverthe opening inthe base of thedetonatonmagazine-of'Oerlikon antiaircraft shell. Forfthis; reason* theinven- `described in connection with. suchusel f tion will iirst be Thedetona'tormagazine` is a part of the nose `vpieceoi the shell. Thatmagazinecarries a booster charge thattransmits, to the -main explosivecharge in the shell the-explosion initiated `by a contact-sensitive capdisposed in-the forward end of the nose and justin advance'bi the det-Aonator ymagazine. `The detonator magazine 'is cup shaped and isprovided Witha centralhole through Vits base. i'

It'has been found desirable to place a double thickness of thin papersuitably about-0.003 inch thick, inside the base of the detonatorVmagazine so that the paper extends in double thickness across the'saidhole. f Y v In cuttingand introducing these double thick- ,nesses .ofthin paper into themagazines at the rate of` many thousands a day, anumber of problems have been encountered. In the first place,

.there is an objectionable tendency forthe one of the resulting discsthat'is adjacent tothe' cuttingpunch, to cling .to the punch, instead offalling awayv asthe. cutting punch is iinally raised.

Furthermore, there is the diiculty duev to the *tendency .ofthe discs,as they are cut and allowed .to fall away, to settle in an inclinedposition and not level `inthe. detonator. magazine, this tendency beingnaggravated byu-any incompleteness of shearing vof the discs .frorntheoriginal sheet material. at any point... y

The present invention provides a machine Which cuts the discs. cleanly,eliminates objectionable adherence of any disc to the cutting punch asthe latter is raised,y andplaces the rdiscs .Yiiatwis'e and regularly inthe base of the d et- .y yonator magazine or upon *otherv receiving mem-A. Brieflystat'ed, the invention comprisesI the herein described machinecomprising thecombilnation of means for cuttingpieces of thin streets ofpaper or the like, including. a cutting punch,

and means for holding the "cut outpieces of paper n flat-Wiseand'genera'llyl'in 'a planee'xtending the preferred embodiment; themeansfor accoma `plishing' this latter purpose comprise a `movable support orplunger disposed-below the cutting 'dieand extending through 'the helein the' lbase of the detonator magazine and `a;meclfianisiri `for Iraising the said'plunger almostor approximately to the lovverievel ofthe paper being out and then rholdingthe cut out pieces of paper betweenthe plunger and the punchy as the piecesare-low'- ered `toV the position-ofresting on the receiving member.'` the machine including othermeansto raisenthecutting punch and lower the plunger, sothat each ofthese parts may then be moved away from the .receiving member, and.other means for then dischargingr the receivingmeme ber to .make roomfor anotherone that is to be supplied with the-paper. discs.' Theinvention comprisesvalso acutting punch for thin paper or- 'thelikehaving a concave cutting end and provided Witha vent for admittingairbetween the Vforward end of rthepunch and the sheet material ycut bythe punch.

' In general the machine comprises the combination oiA `parts forfeeding one or more thicknesses of paper through a die, a cutting punchco-acting with thel die for cutting 'discs or pieces `of other shapefromfthe said paper, a support for holdingthe detonator magazine orother receiving member below'the position. of cutting' of the paper, andmeans forlengaging-the cut pieces of paper between the said punch and amovable plunger sothat the cut pieces Vof paper may be maintained levelbetween the said punch and lplunger and, while in this position,depositedv upon the saidreceiving member.V The machine includes alsomeans for then moving the punch and plunger in different directions andaway from the-level of the* said receiving member, so that the cutpieces of paper are left in horizontal relationship on thesaid receivingmember.

The inventionwiu be illustrated in detail? by "description in connectionwith the drawingsmto which 'reference i's made. n

Fig. 1 is a horizontal-cross section on line'i-'I f cf Fig. 2.

transversely..with respect' to the direction of movement of the cuttingpunch until the pieces are laid in position onthe receiving member. In

lin cutting position. y l

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing thepunchin `13"sit0n at thel `end `ofitsdown stroke Where it v Fig. 2A i's a vertical' 'cross section on line2-2 of Fig.1.'j

' Fig. 3 is a vertical view partly in sec'tionjonr line 3 3 offrig. 2.Fig.4is an enlarged detailed vertical section df .the punch andl dieassembly showing the punch places the cut out paper over the hole in thebase of the detonator magazine.

In these figures there are shown a rigid base member I constituting asupport for the machine and a stand I2 secured in any suitable manner tothe base and extending' upwardly for supporting the main shaft I4.

This main shaft in turn carries cams I6, I8, 23, and 22.

Punch 24 has a face that is continuous from edge to edge, that is, solidexcept that it is y which moves a bar 64 carrying dog E8.

later.

Cam I6 operates the punch 24 for cutting pieces from the sheet material,that suitably isin the form of two tapes 28 and 2B of thin paper whichare fed from rolls 30 and 32 respectively and pass over guide 34 andthroughsuitable openings, to and through the die. upper part 36 andlower part 38 Vdefining therebetween a space for the passage of thepaper. y

Cam I8 actuates a ratchet mechanism 4Q yof a conventional type withrubber rolls for drawing the vsheets of paper through the die, the paperas it passes through the ratchet being in the form of strips 42 fromwhich the desired cut out discs have been removed, as will be describedlater.`

Cam actuates mechanism 44 for raising upwardly a plunger 46 so that, atthe end of the movement of the plunger upwardly, the plunger comesapproximately to the lower level` of the paper in the die. As the cam 20rotates, the spring 48 maintains contact of the wheel 50 with the cam;the arm l52 and mechanism 44 are thus so moved that themechanism 44after completing the upward movement of the plunger 45 lowers theplunger until it is in position shown in Fig. 5. In this cycle, theplunger has first moved upwardly into the die and the hole in the baseof the detonator magazine and then returned to its original positionbelow the paper receiving space in the die. i

At the time the plunger 45 is being lowered, the cam arrangement shownalso forces the punch 24 downwardly through the die and into receivingmember 54, in this case the detonator magazine, in which the cut outpieces of sheet material are deposited. The punch brings the out outpieces down approximately to the wall 55 of the hole in the receivingmember. The punch is then raised and the receiving member moved out ofposition by angular movement of the wheel 58.

As shown, the cam 2D is `mounted near the center of the main shaft. Itis fastened Atothe shaft by conventional means such as set screws (notshown). This cam through the roller 50 operates a push rod, the rollerbeing held constantly against the face of the cam by the spring 48disposed as shown and resting upon a part held at a fixed level withrespect to the base I Il. At its lower end the push ro-d is connected tothe cross beam 44 supported on a pivot pointl near the middle of thecross beam and at the other end `connected to the plunger 46. y

The cam I6 which actuates the punchr and the cam 20 at certain stages ofrotation are out'of phase with each other, as shown in Figs. Zand 3, sothat the plunger comes up from below against the sheets 26 and 28 thatare to be cut and the punch 24 comes down upon the sheet and through thedie from above. Then the plungerand'punch move downward more or less inunison and hold between them the cut out discs of the sheet material.When these discs have been deposited in the The die consists of an``detail are conventional.

bottom of the receptacle 56 (see Fig. 4) then the mechanism causes theplunger to continue to move downward and the punch to move upward. Thislatter movement is caused by the springs 48 and 24 which move upwardlythe rods 52 and the punch 24 as the main shaft I4 rotates and thepressure of the cams upon the rod 52 and punch 24'is released.

The feeding wheel 58 is rotated by cam 22 acting through arm 60 upon abell crank arrangement 62 This doe.r engages a sprocket wheel 68 carriedon the same shaft as the star wheel 58 and secured in fixed .relation towheel 58. For each downward movement of the arm 6D, the ratchet Wheel isrotated counterclockwise through an angle corresponding to the width ofone recess in the outer part of the starwheel.

The receiving members (detonator magazines) 54 which are to be providedwith the out out pieces vof sheet'material are supplied one each torecesses in the star wheel 58, through feeding chute 1B. The receivingmembers slide down this inclined chute onto the base member I8 and arethen fed into the recesses of the star wheel by means of a slowlyrotated feeding brush 72 which at the position of contact with thereceiving members is moving in the direction of the star wheel, so as togive a positive but mild pushing action upon the receiving members andforce them one at a time into any recess available at the time. Thebrush is rotated by any Asuitable means such as shaft I4 with pulley 'I6driven by the belt I8 engaging the pulley on the main shaft I4. Thebrush operates continuously and pushes a detonator magazine forwardlyinto the feeding wheel whenever a recess in that wheel is in positionand empty, for receiving a magazine.

The base Iltis suitably provided with a recess 82 for the passage ofrthe said receiving members 54 to the feeding brush 12. Also the baseplate is suitably recessed, as at 84, to receive the star wheel as shownparticularly in Fig. 2.

l In order to center the members 54 which'are to receive the out outpieces of sheet material, there is provided a wire spring 86 actingtowards the center of the star wheel 58 so as to push each receivingmember, as movement of the star wheel brings the member into contactwith the spring, tightly against the inner portion of the recess in thestar wheel, at the stage of rotation of the wheel atl which thereceiving member is to be provided with the cut out pieces of sheetmaterial. In this manner, the receiving members are centered and linedup with the punch and plunger, the mechanism being sov constructed thatthe plunger is adapted to be moved upwardly through the hole in member54 and the punch down approximately to the upper level of the wall ofthe hole.

Another duct 88 vis provided in the base member I0 for discharge of thereceiving members after they have been provided with the cut out piecesof sheet material. 'A guide member 90 on 'the said base directs thereceiving members, from the position at which they were supplied withthe cut out pieces of sheet material, into the discharge collectingVmeans (not shown) Y Features that are not shown or described in Thusthere are used a motor of usual type and belt acting upon the main drivepulley 94 and the shaft I4.

- member.

After thediscs of paper are laid over the aper, ture', in the base ofthe detonator magazine and the magazine-so provided with the paperdiscs'is discharged from the machine, then the Adetonator magazine isiilled Withexplosive in usual manner.

IThe machine makes possible the placing of the .paperdscs quickly,regularly, and smoothly over the openings in the base of the detonatormagazine, vso that the explosivecharge onits side adjacent to the baseis protected somewhat Aby rthe paper, all in accordance withspeciiications for y this type Aof shell.

vIn place of` the detonator` magazine for the receiving members uponwhich thezpieces of thin out out material are to be placed." Thus, thereThese alternative members for receiving the cut 'pieces ofrpaper arenotshown as they are conventional.

In place of the paper there may be used` other thin sheet material, asfor example, cheesecloth,

silk, thin Cellophane, and the like, although paper is used in thedetonator magazine because of the v desiredrlceliavior4 of paper whenthe detonator charge is red. Convenience and operating advantages ofimportance are .obtained with the present machine whenever the materialto be cut `out and placed is thin and vflexible, as distinguished from'cardboard or the like stiff material.

Materials of construction of the machine of the present invention arethose that are usual for.

constructing parts for cutting machines. Thus, the machine may be madeof brass, bronze, steel,

n or stainless steel,"except that the cutting punch kand die should beof "a material adapted to'retain a cutting edge under the conditions ofuse and the brush, belts, motor, and other parts zfor which allv metalconstruction'is notsatisfactory are of corl-y 40 ventional materialsyand construction. Feedingrolls maybe rubber or plastic faced. Using amachine of the kind described it has beenU found possible to place thedesired discs-of thin paper in the detonator magazines of Oerlikonshells at the rate of approximately 2,000for more Oerlikon shell theremay be used other apertured f i 4 may be used` a washer or a `cup shapedmember'l provided with a hole through-the base of the said of theinvention, and that variations within-the Spirit of the invention areintended to be included f l within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is: y Y

l. A machine for cutting pieces of thinsheet materialand placing thesaid piecesupon .aporf' y tion of a ,receiving member provided vwithankv aperture extending through the saidportiomthe machine comprisingthecombination o a die, a

additional means iorraising the plunger until its uppermost'part extendsthrough the said aperture and approximatelyto the undersideofthe sheetmaterial in the die, for actuating the cutting punch causing thepunch tomove downwardly A, i

' through the die `andapproximately to the upper two'rigid membersoperated by the cams and conthe two cams being out of phase soI as tocause the l an hour, the machine requiring only one orftwo operators.`Furthermore, the machine makes possible the control of the operation sothat .twoY thicknesses, and onlytwo thicknesses of paper,

are introduced and arranged regularly sofi-.hatl

they lie .smoothly on the base of the detonator magazine.k Because ofHthe air vent 31 in thel i punch and the concaveface of the punch, thereis .h

practically no difculty from adherence of even the thinnest paper discsto the face of the punch placingthe discsin the magazine. Because thevent 9'! is in direct communication with the atmosphere, the air withinthe vent is maintained at alltimesat approximately normal pressure.

Thewhole machine is motorfdriven with a belt adapted'to slip in case ofoverloading.

' All vparts of the `machine are 'so synchronized "that the' operationsare performed automatically in the desired sequence.

It will be understoodvthat certain details given are for the purpose ofillustration, not restriction` vas the punchis withdrawn from theposition of `level of the part of the receiving member that'is toreceive the cut out sheet material, meanwhile cutting the said material,for causing the said plunger te move downward just in advance of thepunch and in proximity thereto, so that the cut out pieces of sheetmaterial are'maintain'ed between the punch and plunger -ingenerallyhoril zontal position, and for then .moving theeaid plungerdownwardly and the punch upwardly and both away from the level of thereceiving member,

- after the sheet material is brought approximately to thefupper surfaceofthe said part of the receiv- I ing member, so that the cut out piecesare deposited flatwise in desired yposition upon the receiving memberand over the aperture therein, the said additional means including twocams and nectedl to said punch and plunger,. respectively,

mcvementsstated.'

2. A machine as described in claim 1, the icuttin-g punch beingprovidedV with a vent admitting air at atmospheric pressure between theface of the punch'and the cut out piece of sheetmaterial, sofas topromote separation of the cut outpiece lfrom the punch as the punch israised in the last i step of thecycle of operations described.

" "3. A machine for cutting thin sheet material i' comprising a cuttingpunch and means for moving the punch to the cutting. positionv andwithdrawing the punch from said position, the punch having a forwardcutting end that is continuous fromv edge to edge and isprovided with asmall air vent v, extending from an inner part of the cutting end,

throughthe punch, and to the outside ofthe punch at a position behindthe cutting end thereof and the vent being in direct communication withthe atmosphere, `so that air within the'said ventisu maintained at anormal pressureI and so that there is eliminatedsuctionby the punch'uponthe thin y, i sheet material as the punch is withdrawn from the "Lvposition of cutting of the said material.

FoRREsT D. GRn/L f

